


The Memory In My Old Wallet

by dreamykeanu



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Grief/Mourning, Moving, Post S3, Reminiscing, joyce just misses hop so much, kinda byers-centric, mentions of teenage joyce and hopper
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:47:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22437385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamykeanu/pseuds/dreamykeanu
Summary: While packing up stuff for the move, Joyce stumbles upon an old keepsake she thought she has lost over the years.a short post-season 3 oneshot.
Relationships: Jonathan Byers & Joyce Byers & Will Byers & Eleven | Jane Hopper, Joyce Byers & Jim "Chief" Hopper, Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper, Karen Wheeler [Mentioned]
Comments: 6
Kudos: 25





	The Memory In My Old Wallet

**Author's Note:**

> hello!!! i'm back with more jopper content!! i miss them so much :((( anyways, s4's gonna be filming soon and i can't wait! i heard noah already got the script for the first four episodes!!! can u hear me and my heart crying :(((
> 
> this is a one-shot, obviously, but im working on longer st fics on the process! let me know if i did great by leaving a kudos or a comment. that would mean so much to me. thank you and enjoy reading!! :)

* * *

Joyce Byers and her children had basically lived in Hawkins all their lives, so moving out of the place they’ve only ever known proved to be a difficult task for them. It broke Joyce’s heart when she heard Jonathan say _‘eighteen years of his life were all gonna be packed away in a day’_. She knew how the decision to move made an impact on all of them, but she knew it was for the best. She’d rather be anywhere but Hawkins. _God_. Anywhere but that hellhole.

So here she was, packing up the last of her things in her bedroom. They’ve been packing their stuff for the last four days, and though it never seemed to end, Joyce noticed the rooms getting tidier by the minute, their belongings towed away and sealed in towers of moving boxes. It was a bittersweet feeling that Joyce felt; she was happy to leave the disastrous moments that occurred to her right there in that very worn, rundown home, but she also felt melancholy because that same rundown home was witness to her kids' milestones; Jonathan's first steps and Will's first babble, until they grew up to be such fine, young kids. Joyce felt like crying. Her kids were growing up, and there's nothing she could do about it.

The seasons have started to change and the once heat-submerged Hawkins had managed to cool by the time they were about to leave. It was their final day of packing and Joyce had just been sorting out the stuff hidden inside her small storage compartment that consisted of some make-up she rarely used together with a few accessories she owned before she came upon a small, dainty shoebox. Ever the curious one, Joyce pulls the box out and opens it to find a few polaroids from her teenage years, an old heirloom from her parents, and a black leather wallet Joyce was sure she haven’t seen ever since she was a teenager.

After storing the heirloom together with her personal belongings and admiring the polaroids that reminded her of her wild and quirky girlhood, Joyce turned to pick up the leather wallet. Her initials were embossed in it, like it was made just for her. It had been a gift from her father for her sixteenth birthday, and had remembered being not-so-thrilled about it because she was expecting her very own bike so she wouldn’t have to hitch a ride in Hopper’s Oldsmobile on the way to school.

_Jesus, Hopper._

Her mind flew once more to the thoughts of _him_. It had been three months since the incident, but every time Joyce closed her eyes, the only thing she could see was Jim’s demise unravel right in front of her, opening up wounds that were just starting to heal, and all of a sudden it all felt like she was living the moment over again, so she tries to blink it out of her head and cry herself to sleep.

She shook her head as she slid a finger to wipe the tear that fell of her cheek, sniffing as she flipped the wallet open. To her surprise, a small photograph had been tucked away in the wallet’s transparent frame.

It was a picture of her and Hopper, from when they attended one of Karen’s lavish birthday parties. She smiled upon seeing Hopper’s young, charismatic face. He was clean, face free of the beard and stubble he sported around his late thirties. He wore a maroon flannel paired with washed denim jeans, one of his hands tucked in one of the pockets as he walked together with a teenage, short, curly-haired Joyce, who looked delicate and small in her pink sweater and denim jeans, a gold heart necklace dangling from her neck. She remembered tipsy Karen grabbing her polaroid camera and snapping the photo of them when they barely even set foot on her doorstep. Joyce had been smiling and waving at Karen when she took the photo which caught them by surprise, but nevertheless the photograph turned out to be sweet and chic. Joyce had forgotten to ask the photo from Karen, remembering how she ended up wasted that night, only being reminded of it when Hopper had gifted the photo to her as a birthday present.

She pulled the small polaroid out of the wallet’s pocket and smiled as nostalgic memories flowed back through her. The photo had been dated “1/21/60” with a small heart right next to it. Joyce couldn’t ever bring herself to forget that day; t’was the day her drunken actions resulted to a first kiss between her and Hopper. The kiss was innocent, nothing entirely sexual, because when the kiss was broken, Joyce came collapsing right through Hopper’s strong arms. She briefly chuckled at her own drunken mischief, then stopped when she realized there would be none of those anymore.

She no longer had anyone to drunk-kiss when she’s feeling high from the effects of alcohol. No one to hold her when she falls, when she comes crashing down to her knees. No one to get her through the sleepless nights. No one to intimately share her cigarettes with.

Joyce felt a tear drop on her cheek, then another followed, until her tears continued streaming as she clutched the polaroid to her chest. _Fuck, she missed him so bad._

Sometimes she wanted to think he was only out there somewhere on a trip, that he’ll come back eventually and come parading towards her door, but she has long convinced herself to snap out of it, because if she won’t, there’s no guarantee she’ll move out of that hole where grief and sorrow reeked, so close to engulfing her entirety.

She sniffed once more as she gazed at the polaroid one last time before sliding it back in the pocket of her old leather wallet and packing away the rest of the photographs she found, reminding herself to buy a photo album to store the pictures once they've settled in their new place. Joyce grabbed the leather wallet and sat on the side of her bed, staring at it. It was time that wallet found its purpose again.

The next day, after the Byers have packed everything into the U-Haul truck, they each bid their goodbyes to their loved ones and friends. Joyce later found herself leaning on the front door of the truck, staring woefully at the kids. She felt bad for them. They were too young to experience all of this madness when they should be out there enjoying every bit of their teenage life. But stranger things have already happened, and it's a little too late to turn back now, isn't it?

After the painful goodbyes, the Byers and El left Hawkins, desperate to leave the traumatic memories behind.

* * *

A few hours into the trip, Joyce decided to take a stopover to let the kids eat for dinner. They were a few miles away from their new home in Illinois, so she figured they would have to eat because Joyce was sure they'd end up too exhausted to even move about their new home.

So she let the kids order what they like. Jonathan settled for burgers while El and Will preferred spaghetti. Joyce didn't really have the appetite to eat, but she knew the kids would be nagging at her if she didn't, so she decided a sandwich will have to do.

"A sandwich? Really, mom?" Jonathan's brow arched.

"Oh, I'm fine, sweetie. Really." Joyce reassured her eldest. "I'm not that hungry."

"But you only had coffee and toast this morning, and we even haven't had lunch." Jonathan held his mom's hand. "Mom, please. Don't starve yourself." He pleaded. Joyce had a naturally petite figure, but now she looked thinner than she was before, Her jawline was more emphasized, her eye-bags hung low beneath her eyes, and she looked awfully weary.

"I won't." She gave her son a small smile. "You should check on the kids. They sat in between those booths. I can manage here."

Jonathan sighed, not wanting to argue anymore. He was tired, they were tired. So he walked back, shoulders slumped as he trudged on the way to their table. Not long after, the cashier came with their orders and pressed buttons on the register.

"That would be $6.99." Joyce pulled out her old leather wallet; the one with her and Hopper's picture, to pull out a few bills.

"Looking good in that picture, huh," the cashier complimented. "Your husband?"

Joyce felt a lump form on her throat. Sometimes, she wished people just minded their own businesses.

"Yeah." Joyce mumbled, as if still unsure. "Yeah, he is." she spoke a bit loudly just enough for the cashier to hear, nodding simultaneously.

"You make a pretty good couple."

_We make a pretty good team._ Hopper's voice resonated at the back of her mind. She wanted to cry right there, but she didn't. Instead, she lifted her chin up and faced the cashier.

"We do." She gave the cashier a sad smile. "We make a pretty good team."

**Author's Note:**

> for some reason, i couldn't attach the polaroid picture of teen joyce and hopper, so here's the link if you wanna visualize it and see how it looks like! it's a tumblr edit i saw on pinterest.
> 
> click here to view the picture: https://pin.it/vw5j23a7tcc37h
> 
> also i've made a fan account for my jopper, winona, and ST feels like two weeks ago so you may follow me there as i am more active in those platforms hehe <3
> 
> twt: @gottalovenoni  
> ig: @lovinglynoni  
> tumblr: @jopperist


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